Las Vegas Excalibur Hotel scene of murder-suicide

man shot and fatally wounded a woman, then killed himself Friday night at the Excalibur hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, sending frightened patrons fleeing.

Las Vegas Police Lt. Ray Steiber said the shootings happened at about 8:30 p.m. near the high-rise hotel's front entrance.

Steiber said the man shot the woman, who was a vendor at the hotel's concierge desk, and then turned the gun on himself. The man was found dead at the scene.

The woman was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Neither the gunman nor the victim was identified. However, Steiber said the woman worked as a vendor at the concierge desk, where tourists can get show tickets and restaurant reservations. He said the relationship between the shooter and the victim wasn't immediately clear.

The shooting happened as the hotel's registration desk was busy on a Friday night with the National Finals Rodeo and other events in town. Steiber said patrons scattered at the first sound of gunfire, and no one else was wounded.

MGM Resorts International owns the Excalibur and several other hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. Company spokesman Gordon Absher said the hotel and casino remained open to guests and patrons. However, the area where the shooting took place remained cordoned off by police while the investigation continued.

The Excalibur has approximately 4,000 rooms and is located at the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. The hotel is named for the mythical sword of King Arthur, and its facade is a stylized image of a castle.